According to Milton, throughout Paradise Lost, Lucifer is a character whose goals are to prove
himself to others yet ends up hurting mankind along the way. Throughout the
passage, Lucifer discusses how he wants to get revenge on God, and make the
best out of Hell. He will “make a heaven out of hell and a hell out of heaven”(Milton
line 255). Milton portrays Lucifer, probably the most evil being known to man,
as a relatable, inspiring, and sympathetic character whom is the epitome of an
antihero.
Lucifer is
seen as a new leader, one who will strike against those who wronged him and
take revenge. He sounds like someone motivating and determined, not an evil
being who just wants to hurt others. In the novel, Barbarous Dissonance and Images of Voice in Milton’s Epics, Sauer
discusses the use of Satan as an antihero, “The description of Satan as a hero who, though fallen,
possesses a form that has not yet lost testifies to his grandeur as well as to
the poet's muted admiration for the classical antihero. Satan is characterized
as an actor, deceiver, and simultaneously a champion” (Sauer 73). He is still
very deceiving and plots to take revenge in a violent matter, yet his motives
are simply to bring justice to God. Satan, for Milton, could represent all of
humanity and the flaws within it. He falls from heaven yet is still stubborn
enough to completely rebel against God, which shows the flaws within humans to
be stubborn and vengeful (sins that are then punished for in Hell). It is by
describing Satan in such a humble manner, that Milton gains the reader’s
sympathy for the character and sets the precedent for antiheros in literature.
Milton influenced many other authors and people in
general to show sympathy to the “bad guy” or “villain” and to focus on their
background and reasons their actions. For instance, many characterized the poem
as the “first Romantic” which then spurred the romantic period of literature
which was a complete shift in the focus of artists and writers to think about
humanity and who created who. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is strongly influenced by Paradise Lost for not only does the creature gain the sympathy of
the readers through his murders yet tragic story, but also Victor himself is
extremely romantic. The entire novel brings about the idea of man creating
life, a romantic ideal that Milton really started with Satan rebelling against
the norm (like Victor) and essentially creating a new word (as Victor creates a
new life). Lucifer is a surprisingly dynamic being who set an example for all antiheros
to follow.
Works
Cited
·
Milton,
John. Paradise Lost. Ed. Scott Elledge. 2nd ed. New York: Norton,
1975.
·
Sauer, Elizabeth. Barbarous Dissonance and Images of Voice in
Milton's Epics.
Montreal: McGill-Queens UP,
1996. Questia School. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.
